It just makes me wonder why we should care about the result when it’s as lackluster as this. They love doing what they do just the same, and that’s an admirable quality. Though it’s rarely outright bad, it’s never outright good, which seems to suit Lips and the boys just fine. If they were consistently great, that would be one thing, but Anvil at its best doesn’t cross beyond ‘harmless,’ and at worst are downright cringeworthy. 18 releases in, these guys never change, and in fact, take pride in the fact that they never change. So in short, Legal at Last is just another Anvil album. The production value seems to have increased a little in recent years, but it’s still pretty industry standard, and any gains in quality are offset by the tragedy that is “Said and Done.” So I went on a cursory sampling of their back catalog and found nothing that would have been out of place on any of their albums since the 90s. It’s a box of crayons that are all different shades of beige. Even as a newcomer to the band, it just reeks of coasting, with most of the tracks pretty similar in tone and structure. Of course, I’ve been reviewing Anvil’s career course as much as the new album, so new listeners shouldn’t pay much heed, right? Well, here’s a secret: this was my first Anvil album as well. It’s not really suited for anything except thrashy shouting, frankly, as evidenced by his attempts to sing, particularly on the dreadful closer “Said and Done,” with its inane riff and lethargic tempo. “Gasoline” tries to shake things up with a classic doom tempo, but Steve “Lips” doesn’t have a voice suited to Candlemassisms. The opening salvo celebrating the legalization of weed is impossibly juvenile, even by Anvil standards, and “Nabbed in Nebraska” doesn’t even have a good riff to compensate. When they try anything else, it inevitably ends in failure. Most of their tracks sound the same and have for 4 decades. “I’m Alive” through to “Bottom Line” are standard Anvil fare, with upbeat riffs, catchy hooks and total lack of subtlety or imagination.īut Anvil really is a one-trick pony. These mostly take place around the midsection of the album, which avoids the worst of the juvenile lyrics or the unexpected highfalutin’ attempts at adding depth which falls flat. With this much experience writing riffs, at least some of them will stick. Nothing about this has been innovative since the ’80s, but that’s not necessarily a problem. Their style does, in fact, remind of AC/DC, between the simple, hooky riffs and the vinegar vocals, but Anvil does have more energy and a more raw sound. For those who have managed to avoid the band for 40 years, that means two parts heavy metal, one part speed metal. Surprise, it’s no surprise at all! Legal at Last 1 is Anvil doing Anvil in the style of Anvil. Is the new pro-weed romp another carbon copy or have the fumes brought some inspiration to the geezers? By now they’ve recorded more than AC/DC, in a shorter time span, yet their sound also shows as much growth as their Australian counterparts. Not to say Anvil has no semi-classic records to their names, but those were over a dozen albums ago. This page is maintained by Tony Gallo.Someone call the retirement home, Anvil has escaped again! The Canadian old-timers went from long-forgotten underdogs to loveable mascots thanks to the movie, Anvil! The Story of Anvil, which chronicled the once-promising band trudging through obscurity, doggedly recording album after album every two or three years without regard for critical reception or popularity. Please change any incorrect links to the current address. Ian Dickson, Robb Reiner, Dave Allison, Lips Here is a pic of the original members standing together: Royal Canadian Legion Branch 232 in Hunstville, Ontario, Canada on July 20, 2019. You can order from AFM Records.ĪNVIL's original rhythm guitarist Dave Allison and original bassist Ian Dickson showed up at the band's gig at Watch ANVIL's new video for "Ghost Shadow" from the new album IMPACT IS IMMINENT.ĪNVIL's new album IMPACT IS IMMINENT has been released. Watch ANVIL's new video for "Take A Lesson" from the new album IMPACT IS IMMINENT. Listen to IMPACT IS IMMINENT in it's entirety here.
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